Surrounded, Part 2

This fictional account contains adult language and themes. If such 
language and themes offend you, please do not read further. The persons and 
events described in this work are purely fictional. Any similarity to 
actual persons or events is strictly coincidental. Copyright 2003 by 
SSTORYMAN. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce 
this story in any form and for any purpose as long as this notice is 
reproduced and no financial remuneration is received, directly or 
indirectly, by the person reproducing or using it. 
   
SURROUNDED 
   
2. The Screws Start to Tighten. 
   
   Janine woke up. She went downstairs. Ellie was gone. A note on the 
counter said her last exam at the high school was at one; she'd be back at 
four. Janine went back upstairs to reconnoiter Ellie's bedroom. There were 
ashtrays on her desk and by her bed. Each had butts in it. A half-empty 
carton of cigarettes lay on her dresser. Ellie clearly made no attempt to 
hide it. That meant both her mom and Grant knew. Janine sighed. This was 
very upsetting. 
   
   To take her mind off this troubling development she called Suzanne. She 
had to get out of the house. All fall she and Suzanne corresponded by email 
so her friend expected to hear from her. She got through and they talked 
briefly. Suzanne agreed to pick Janine up to spend the afternoon together. 
   
   It was great seeing Suzanne. It felt just like high school again. The 
girls talked about college and old times. They window shopped at the mall, 
had coffee and just hung out. Janine didn't mention the smoking situation. 
She was too embarrassed and flustered to talk about it. Likewise, Suzanne 
said nothing about experimenting with Crystal. After all, it was just that 
- experimenting. A little after eight Suzanne dropped Janine back at 
Grant's house. 
   
   Grant and Diana were watching TV in the family room. Ellie wasn't 
around. Diana brightened when Janine walked in. 
   
   "Come on in, honey," she beamed through the smoky haze. "Say hi to 
Grant." 
   
   "Hi, Grant," the blond girl bashfully smiled. "It's nice to see you 
again." 
   
   "Good to see you, Janine," he enthusiastically greeted her. "Sit down 
tell us all about your first semester at that exclusive east coast school. 
Your mom and I want to hear everything." 
   
   Embarrassed, she sat. The last time she talked to Grant he didn't yet 
live with her mom. But he seemed genuinely interested so Janine launched 
into a long discussion of college life. 
   
   The whole time she talked Grant and Diana smoked nonstop. Neither seemed 
the least bit embarrassed about indulging in front of her. It was odd. The 
few smokers she knew at school were all apologetic. At college, if she was 
with people who smoked they were contrite. Not Grant, and not her mom, 
either. For whatever reason no apology was offered. They just smoked; and 
they smoked a lot. Janine had never seen anything like it. 
   
   After their discussion she caught her mother alone in the kitchen. 
   
   "Mom," she whispered in a corner. "Today Ellie said she has permission 
to smoke. What's up with that?" 
   
   Diana laughed. "I didn't have the heart to tell you. I should have but I 
was afraid of what you'd say. I'm sorry, honey. Yeah, Ellie asked me about 
it shortly after I began smoking, right after we moved in with Grant. He 
and I smoke all the time around the house. I guess it drove your poor 
sister crazy. She asked if she could smoke, too. I said, sure, why the hell 
not?" 
   
   In disgust Janine shook her head. "God, Mom! I can't believe it. Why 
would you let Ellie smoke? She's only 16, for God's sake." 
   
   Again, Diana laughed. "Janine, I began at 15. I know what it's like 
being a teenage smoker. Did I approve of your sister smoking?" She paused. 
"I'm not sure I approved or disapproved. I didn't analyze it like that. 
Thing was, Ellie was already smoking. If I said she couldn't smoke I'd have 
been a hypocrite. I smoked at her age and she knew it. Plus, I was smoking. 
What could I say?" She let out an uneasy giggle. "My parents were such 
hard-asses about my smoking at her age. I saw this as an opportunity to be 
nicer to Ellie than my mother was to me at that stage of my life." 
   
   "But Mom, it's not right. She's in high school! Do you also buy 
cigarettes for her?" 
   
   "Your sister's pretty resourceful," Diana grinned. "She says she never 
had trouble buying cigarettes. She's cute; that helps. I know _that_ from 
experience at her age. But yeah, I buy 'em for her now. It's cheaper 
because I can buy 'em by the carton." 
   
   "You're missing the point, Mother," Janine went on, exasperated. "Ellie 
shouldn't be smoking at all!" 
   
   Diana smirked. "Really? God, I don't know, Janine. I love to smoke. 
Okay, so it's not good for me or for Ellie, either. So what? Who cares? 
Everybody does things that aren't good for them. We do 'em anyway because 
we like to. Me, I like to smoke. So does Ellie. I never made you girls do 
or not do things based on people's opinions. I let you make your own 
choices like adults. I think that's the right approach. So if Ellie wants 
to smoke, well, it's her decision, not mine. I'll support her either way." 
   
   Janine was infuriated. "I don't agree, Mom. But that wasn't all Ellie 
said. She also says you two are conspiring to get me to join you, to smoke, 
too. Is that right?" 
   
   Diana nervously brushed a non-existent strand of hair from her face. 
"God, that's not exactly true," she mumbled awkwardly. "I do remember a 
discussion where I told Ellie it'd be a hell of a lot easier if you smoked. 
I knew you'd be pissed at what happened. It's true, honey. If you took up 
smoking you'd stop being an outsider. You'd fit in with Grant, Ellie and 
me." 
   
   "You consider me an outsider? Just because I don't smoke?" 
   
   Diana shrugged. "If the shoe fits wear it. When the three of us go out 
to eat we all want to smoke. Sitting around the TV or talking we smoke. All 
three of us smoke all the time, Janine. We like it. It's relaxing and 
satisfying, even more when we share it. I must admit, it _would_ be nice if 
you understood." 
   
   "So, you _do_ want me to smoke? God, Mom, that's disgusting!" 
   
   "No it's not, honey. I don't want you separating yourself. I fear it'll 
happen if you keep on this damn anti-smoking kick." 
   
   Janine exploded. "But _I'm_ not the one who changed. You two did!" 
   
   Diana spoke serenely. "Janine, living things grow and change. Change 
isn't bad; it's a fact. You can either accept the changes that take place 
or be pissed. It's up to you. I don't really care if you smoke. I care 
about your attitude. If you can't be nice it'll be a miserable holiday for 
all of us, you included." 
   
   Janine stomped off. Her mom denied Ellie's conspiracy charge. But she 
was still angry about her laid-back and idiotic defense of her sister's 
smoking and the idea that she distanced herself from them by disapproving. 
She went to the basement to find a phone. She found one and called her 
friend Suzanne. She had to talk to somebody. 
   
   For the first time she described the situation to her friend. She 
expected to find an ally. But instead Suzanne surprised her and poured cold 
water on her outrage. 
   
   "Actually, Janine, I think it's kind of cool. Your mom's great. I wish 
_my_ mom was tolerant like yours. God, my mother still goes ballistic if 
I'm not home by midnight." 
   
   "But smoking is evil, Suzanne. This is different." 
   
   "Evil's in the eye of the beholder, Janine. Tolerance is a real virtue. 
Trying to get others to live the way you want is a dead-end street. My 
advice is let it go. Your sister smokes; so does your mom and her 
boyfriend. So what? No big deal!" 
   
   "You don't have to live in it," Janine went on. "It stinks! The stench 
is fuckin' everywhere!" 
   
   Suzanne laughed. "Oh my! You learned some new words at college?" 
   
   Janine continued undeterred. "The smell's in every room, on the 
furniture and the carpets. Even my clothes stink. It's everywhere. Each 
time I leave my room I'm painfully reminded I'm surrounded by smokers. I'll 
probably die from breathing their stupid second hand smoke." 
   
   Given her recent experimenting with smoking which Janine wasn't aware 
of, Suzanne was amused. "Janine, don't take it so hard! I have friends at 
the community college who smoke. I never had any friends who smoke before 
but I got used to it. You will, too. It's not so bad." She paused. "I 
probably shouldn't say this, Janine. But I've tried smoking myself a few 
times this semester." 
   
   "You, Suzanne? Oh my God! I don't believe it. You're too smart for that 
shit!" 
   
   "It's not about smarts, kid. It's about fun. One night my friend Crystal 
offered me a cigarette. I thought, what the hell? Why not? I tried it. It 
wasn't bad. Pretty enjoyable, really, once you get used to it." 
   
   Janine felt betrayed. Instead of sympathy she got ambushed! "Oh God, 
Suzanne! Tell me you aren't smoking all the time?" 
   
   "Not all the time," she replied. "If I go out with friends who smoke I 
have a couple cigarettes with 'em. No big deal. And like I said it's not 
bad. Really, it's kind of cool! You're too closed-minded, Janine. Maybe you 
should be willing to experiment a little yourself." 
   
   "I _won't_ become a smoker," the flustered girl answered. "I won't!" 
   
   Suzanne laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not a smoker. I'm not saying you 
should smoke like your mom and sister do. I'm only saying I understand a 
little about why they like it so much. I might even smoke a little on my 
own if I thought my mom wouldn't freak." 
   
   Janine hung up. That didn't go the way she hoped. She wanted sympathy. 
Instead, not only her mom and little sister, but her best friend - all were 
smoking! She tried to calm down; then she cursed. The smell of cigarette 
smoke assailed her even in the basement. It was fuckin' everywhere! She 
couldn't escape. Furious, she ran to her bedroom and slammed the door. It 
was chilly outside but she didn't care. She opened the window in an attempt 
to clear out the smelly evidence of being surrounded by smokers. 
   
   
   
   That night Grant and Diana lay in bed reading. As usual Diana had a 
cigarette burning in the ashtray on her nightstand. 
   
   "Hey, what did you and Janine talk about in the kitchen tonight?" 
   
   "Oh, nothing," she lied. She picked up her cigarette and hit on it. "The 
truth is, it was the smoking thing. Janine reacted just as I feared. She's 
upset and stressed. And I'm pissed at Ellie! I guess she told Janine that 
we've been conspiring to get her to smoke, too." 
   
   Grant raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?" 
   
   Diana exhaled a strong stream of smoke and smirked wickedly. "Well, yes, 
darling. Of course it's true. I'd dearly love to see my daughter Janine 
start to smoke. It'd be great. But Ellie shouldn't have admitted it to 
Janine! That stupid ass! What in hell was she thinking?" 
   
   Grant smiled. "You actually _want_ Janine to smoke?" 
   
   Diana smiled back. "It wouldn't upset you, would it, Grant?" She reached 
under the sheets and gently fingered his cock. "After all, you love seeing 
Ellie smoke. So if Janine were to become a nicotine addict, too, well, it'd 
be a real nice bonus for you, wouldn't it?" 
   
   "Well, yeah, sure," he reluctantly agreed, looking embarrassed. "But I'm 
surprised you'd encourage it, I mean, as far as Janine's concerned. She is 
your daughter, after all!" 
   
   Diana shrugged and again hit hard on her cigarette. "Don't be an ass, 
Grant. You know I'm glad I smoke again after five miserable years of 
deprivation." She pursed her lips and slowly let short bursts of smoke 
dribble out, all of which drifted their way towards him. "But Janine's 
always been an anti. Back when I wasn't smoking I didn't care so much. But 
I'm now a smoker again and I'd rather not deal with her shit. So, yeah, 
Ellie and I talked about ways to, shall we say, encourage Janine to try it 
out? To take a test drive?" 
   
   Grant laughed. "God, Diana, you are _so_ incredibly evil!" 
   
   "Yes, I am," she giggled. "But you love it! Like I said, I see how you 
watch Ellie. You look every time she raises a cigarette to her lips. You 
love seeing Ellie smoke, don't you? Come on. Admit it!" 
   
   "Yeah, you know me, Diana," he sighed. "I love seeing little Ellie 
follow in her beautiful mother's footsteps as a nicotine addict. But I'd 
still rather see you smoke than anyone!" 
   
   "Right answer, Brainiac," Diana smirked again reaching under the covers. 
"Ah! Someone down there's coming to life. My plan to get Janine to smoke 
has got you all excited!" She stroked him more aggressively. "That's bad, 
Grant. Very bad! I must do something about this! You will have to be 
punished." 
   
   With her free hand Diana lifted her cigarette to her lips for a hit. 
Grant groaned in delight as she fondled his cock with her other one. "God, 
honey, you're a woman after my own heart! I must admit I was delighted when 
you let little Ellie smoke out in the open. It's nice, real nice to see her 
smoking. God, I do love seeing that pretty little youngster feeding her 
ever-increasing addiction to nicotine. But now, hearing that you also want 
to convince Janine to smoke, God! It's almost more than I ever hoped for!" 
   
   Diana laughed. "Before long I'll have Janine well on her way to being a 
smoker. Soon she'll join the rest of us in nicotine addiction. Exactly like 
Ellie she'll need to smoke just to satisfy her growing cravings. And then 
we'll all be euphoric; especially you, you bad boy!" She took another drag 
and pushed her smoky lips against his. "God, I love how my smoking turns 
you on, Grant! It's nice for me because I love to smoke. And it's nice for 
you because you love seeing me do it!" 
   
   She kissed him and continued to rub his swelling cock. He moaned. "God, 
when it comes to smoking, Diana, you're totally depraved! You want to 
infect your own flesh and blood with nicotine addiction just to make your 
life easier. You _want_ Ellie and Janine to smoke. God, that makes me so 
fuckin' happy!" 
   
   "Yeah, I know, Grant. I know! Wait till you see the tricks Ellie and I 
have up our devious sleeves. It'll be so fun! But I'll need just a little 
help from you to make it work." 
   
   "Anything, baby," he groaned. "Anything at all. Just name it." 
   
   
   
   "Who were you on the phone with just now?" 
   
   Suzanne smiled. "That was Janine Stevenson, Mom. She just wanted to 
talk." 
   
   Linda Martin nodded. "You spent this afternoon with Janine, right?" 
   
   "Yeah, but this evening she wanted to talk about some stuff going on at 
home. Her mom moved in with this guy named Grant. Janine's not very happy 
about it." 
   
   Mrs. Martin frowned. "I thought Diana Stevenson had more sense. Imagine, 
moving in with a single man! And she's a member of our parish, too." 
   
   Suzanne sighed. "Mom, it's the 21st century! Men and women live together 
all the time these days without getting married. Get over it." 
   
   "I don't approve," her mother prattled on. "Diana must be desperate to 
move in with a man without marrying him. I felt sorry for her when her 
husband died. But that's no excuse." 
   
   Suzanne saw a golden opportunity. "Yeah, I guess Janine's upset. Her 
mom's smoking again. Grant smokes and I understand Mrs. Stevenson started 
up again after they moved in together." She grinned at her good fortune. 
This would give her a ready excuse to explain the smell of smoke on her 
clothes. "If I go over there during Christmas break I guess I'll be around 
smokers a lot." 
   
   "But Janine doesn't smoke, does she?" 
   
   "No. Not Janine! That's what upset her. She's mad her mom's smoking." 
   
   Mrs. Martin nodded. "I always knew Janine had more sense than to take up 
that disgusting habit. I recall Diana finally quit smoking after her 
husband got sick. I was proud of her for doing it. It's unfortunate she 
lacked the fortitude to keep it up. Well, I can understand why Janine's 
mad. I would be, too. I wouldn't ever want to live with someone who 
smokes!" 
   
   "Yeah, it's really too bad for Janine," Suzanne gleefully sighed. "You 
know, that smell really does stick to your clothes if you're around people 
who smoke. The odor can last for days and days." And the next time I go out 
with Crystal I'll just say I was over at Janine's house, she wanted to add. 
That way, Mom, you'll never know the real truth! 
   
   
   
   At seven Saturday morning Janine strolled into the kitchen in her 
bathrobe. Diana was already at the table with the morning newspaper - and 
her seemingly ever-present cigarettes! 
   
   "G' morning, honey," she cheerfully beamed through the smoky haze. 
"Sleep well?" 
   
   The teenager poured herself orange juice. "Yeah, I did," she smiled 
sheepishly. "That bed in my room is really comfortable. I haven't slept 
this well in a long time!" 
   
   "Glad to hear it," Diana merrily went on. "Big plans today?" 
   
   Janine shrugged and sat down across from Diana. "I dunno. Suzanne and I 
might do something. She has a car. I'll be dependent on her for rides this 
vacation, I guess." 
   
   Her mother nodded and vigorously hit on her cigarette. "At least you 
have someone to do stuff with." She held the smoke in her lungs. As Diana 
continued to talk the milky substance incidentally escaped. "Do you want 
part of the morning paper?" 
   
   Janine took the entertainment section. Ellie appeared in the doorway. 
"G' morning," she grunted. With no hesitation she reached for her mom's 
pack and extracted a cigarette. She then picked up Diana's lighter. The 
still-sleepy youngster lit up and double-pumped, dragging two mouthfuls of 
smoke from the burning cigarette deep down into her greedy lungs. Twin 
smoky ringlets spiraled from out of her nostrils while she dragged the 
second time. 
   
   "Oh, God," Ellie sighed contentedly. "That's so nice!" 
   
   "It's always good, isn't it, having that very first cigarette of the 
day?" Diana smiled sympathetically. "Believe me, honey, I know." 
   
   Janine groaned. "You guys are terrible. It's pathetic watching you two 
smoke." 
   
   "It's not pathetic," Ellie retorted. "You're criticizing something you 
don't comprehend. Smoking's wonderful, Sis, it really is. And smoking with 
Mom is simply the best." 
   
   "I do love to smoke," Diana admitted, giving her younger daughter a 
quick hug. "And there's something special about sharing it. We're 
completely tuned in to each other these days." 
   
   Janine just shook her head. She sipped her juice. 
   
   "Anyway, the reason I asked if you have plans is because last night 
Grant gave me this to share with you guys." From the pocket of her robe she 
displayed a green rectangular paper. "This is a check," she explained. 
"Grant wants us to go shopping and pick out some nice stuff for you guys to 
have for Christmas." 
   
   Ellie looked at the check and whistled. "Oh my God! It's for eight 
hundred dollars!" 
   
   "Yep." Diana paused for another hit on her cigarette. "Grant wants me to 
take you both shopping, to spend some serious money on yourselves for 
Christmas." 
   
   "But why?" Janine asked. "He didn't have to do that." 
   
   "He wants to. Grant likes you guys; he wants you to feel good about 
being here with us. He told me to take you shopping and let each of you go 
wild." 
   
   Ellie squealed with delight. "God, that's great. Are we going this 
morning?" 
   
   "I thought we'd go to the new mall on the south side of town," Diana 
nodded. "What do you say, Janine?" 
   
   The older girl nodded. "It's really nice of him," she hesitated. ""It's 
so generous!" 
   
   "He's a great guy," Diana triumphantly agreed. "I've been telling you 
that. Grant wants to show you just how much he intends to support you 
girls." 
   
   "I'll call Suzanne and tell her I'm busy," Janine smiled. "God, this'll 
be fabulous." 
   
   Ellie smiled at her mother and then turned to Janine. "I think you 
should invite Suzanne to come along, Sis. She'd love it. That'd be okay 
with you, wouldn't it, Mom?" 
   
   "Yeah, sure. I like Suzanne. Is it okay with you, Ellie? After all, 
Suzanne is Janine's friend, not yours." 
   
   "I like Suzanne," Ellie confidently asserted. "And she and Janine 
haven't seen each other in months. I'm sure she'd like to come along and 
help us pick out some clothes. I wouldn't mind having her along, if Janine 
would like that." 
   
   "That's nice of you, Ellie," Janine grinned. "I'd love Suzanne to come." 
   
   And Suzanne did. After a call from Janine, she showed up a few minutes 
before nine. The pretty brunette was ecstatic to be included in the 
shopping trip with the Stevenson girls. But none of them knew just how life 
changing this little shopping trip would prove to be! 
   
   

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